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Introduction

Qaafiyaa is an essential component in a Ghazal and creates its rhyming pattern.
While in English, the rhymes are rather simple and are classified based on no of syllables, in Urdu the rhymes are a bit more involved as is explained later.

EXAMPLE

koii ummiid bar nahii.n aatii
koii suurat nazar nahii.n aatii

maut kaa ek din muayyan hai
niind kyu.n raat bhar nahii.n aatii

aage aatii thii haal-e-dil pe ha.nsi
ab kisii baat par nahii.n aatii

jaantaa hu.n savaab-e-taa.at-o-zohd
par tabii.at idhar nahii.n aati

In most ghazals, the matla (i.e. first sher of the ghazal) has qaafiyaa in both lines (misras). Thereafter the qaafiyaa is essential in the second misra of each sher.
In the above ghazal, the first sher is the matla and the qaafiyaa are highlighted : bar, nazar, bhar, par, idhar

REKHTA QAAFIYAA DICTIONARY is an online tool which enables one to find similar sounding qaafiyas for the given word. This is primarily meant for aspiring poets and can also be a reference for established poets.

HOW TO USE “REKHTA QAAFIYAA DICTIONARY”

The search results are presented based on rhyming pattern and on their weight (which is critical in Urdu poetry)

1) RHYMING PATTERN:

Search results of similar rhyming words will be broadly divided into categories based on the rhyming pattern of the searched word.

Exact

close

Open

example FOR THE WORD

SAAQIYAA

Exact qaafiyas will be “Daakiyaa”, “vaaqiyaa”, etc (ending with –aaqiyaa)

Close qaafiyas will be “piyaa”, “ziyaa”, “shukriyaa”, “marsiyaa”, “auliyaa” etc (ending with –iyaa)

Open qaafiyas will be “fazaa”, “KHafaa”, “jho.nkaa”, “aa.inaa”, “muqaabalaa” etc (ending with –aa)

i) WEIGHT:

Results are segregated according to their weight

To understand how to calculate weight:

The basic units in the calculation of weight of a word: syllables, and letters.
Words are made of syllables, and syllables are made of letters.
In word “baat” – “baa” & “t” are syllables while “b”, “a”, “a” and “t” are letters.

A Syllable can have weight of either 2 or 1.

A syllable has a weight of 2 in two cases

i) when it is composed of a consonant and a long vowel – such as “baa” in “baat”, “gii” in “giit”, “nuu” in “nuur”
ii) when it is composed of two consonants and a small vowel such as “bar” in “bartan”, “kis” in “kismat”, “gul” in “gulshan”

A syllable has a weight of 1 in two cases

i) when it is composed of one consonant - such as “t” in “baat”, “d” in “dard”
ii) when it is composed of one consonant and one vowel - such as “ka” in “kalam”

example

word “baat” has weight of : 21Baa2t1

word “Kalaam” has weight of : 121ka1laa2m1

word “dard” has weight of : 21Dar2d1

To understand weight of the words more clearly, take below example:

“baat (21)”, “raat (21), “salaat (121)” can be used together in one Ghazal,

“baat (21)”, “raat (21), “barsaat (221)” can also be used together in one Ghazal,

But

“salaat (121)” and “barsaat (221)” cannot be used in same Ghazal

Except in certain cases, as is done by advanced poets by combining the dissonant sound with its previous sound. This is not a subject for the Qaafiyaa Dictionary.

GUIDELINES FOR QAAFIYAA SELECTION:

As in indicated earlier, qaafiyaa can be exact, nearby or open. This is clearly mentioned in the search results.
The selection of a set of qaafiyas for a ghazal is closely linked to the matla (first sher of the ghazal).The same type of qaafiyaa (exact or close or open) that is used in the matla should follow in the rest of the misras.